Demons
by Cazzah84
Summary: Following on from Worst Case Scenario, Jack tries to move on with his life. He's ready to return to duty and hes about to start a family with Sam. But what happens when demons from his past threaten his future?
1. Nightmares

Blackness. That was all he saw. Then the voices started. Just whispers that got louder and louder until they were yelling and shouting. Then came the cries and screams for help. The begging for mercy. Then he saw them. The people of Alderia burning, dying. Then he heard the Goa'uld laughter as he tortured Hallen, the leader and murdered his wife. Then he saw the Goa'uld. It was him. But his victim had changed. Now it was Sam. She looked at him, her eyes begging. Then he shot up. He was breathing heavily and sweating. Then he realised that he was in his own bed, in his own house. He looked sat the time. It was 4.20am. It was just a nightmare, the same nightmare he'd had every night since he woke up from his ordeal a month ago. He was so lost in thought; he was barely aware of Major Samantha Carter stirring next to him.

"Jack?" She said, sitting up. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah I'm fine. Did I wake you?" Colonel Jack O'Neill said.

"No, the tossing and turning did. Did you have another nightmare?" Sam asked.

"Nothing I can't handle, go back to sleep." Jack said.

"No, I'm awake now if you want to talk." Sam said.

"I'll be fine." Jack said. Sam looked at him. She wasn't convinced he was ok, but she didn't want to pressure him.

"You know you could ask General Hammond for an extended leave of absence if you're not ready to go back yet." Sam said.

"No, I've been off duty long enough. It's time to try and get my life back to as normal as possible." Jack said.

"Before it all turns upside down again?" Sam said, placing a hand on her slightly swollen stomach. Jack looked at her and slid his hand over hers.

"Yeah, that." Jack said. He smiled at her.

"We have to tell General Hammond. I'm not sure how much longer we can hide it." Sam said.

"What makes you so sure he doesn't already know?" Jack said.

"If he does, he hasn't said anything." Sam said.

"Maybe he's just screwing with us. Come on, we should get dressed and head to the base." Jack said.

"Are you sure you're ok?" Sam said.

"Never better." Jack said, jumping out of bed.

* * *

When they stepped off the elevator at the SCG, there was a line of officers waiting to greet them. They all started clapping when they saw Jack.

"There he is." Castleman said.

"Welcome back, Colonel O'Neill." One officer said.

"It's good to have you back, sir." Another said.

"Thank you, it's good to be back." Jack said. Then he saw Walter Harriman. "How's it going Sergeant?"

"You will suffer for your crimes." Jack heard him say. He turned to face him.

"What did you say?" He asked.

"I said General Hammond wants to see you both in his office." Harriman said.

"Oh, I thought so." Jack said, slightly puzzled at what had just happened. Was he hearing things?

"They all missed you." Sam said.

"Yeah, it just hasn't been the same without you around here." Doctor Daniel Jackson said, coming to see them.

"Daniel." Jack said.

"Welcome back." Daniel said, smiling as he shook Jack's hand. Teal'c bowed his head.

"It pleases me greatly to see that you are well enough and strong enough to re-join us on SG-1." Teal'c said.

"Thank you Teal'c. its really good to be back, and we'd love to catch up with you later, but right now, we need to go and see General Hammond." Jack said.

"Both of you?" Daniel said.

"Yes Daniel, both of us." Jack said.

"We'll see you later." Sam said. Then both she and Jack headed straight to General Hammond's office. They knocked on the door.

"Come." Hammond called. They walked in. Hammond smiled and stood up when he saw them. "Welcome back Colonel O'Neill. I trust you're fully ready to return to duty?"

"As ready as I'll ever be, sir." Jack said.

"And there are no lasting effects from your…. ordeal?" Hammond asked.

"Just a few nightmares, but nothing serious." Jack said.

"Well as long as you're sure. Welcome back to active duty, Colonel." Hammond said.

"Thank you, sir." Jack said. Then he looked at Sam. "That's not the only reason you called us here, was it?"

"No, I trust congratulations are in order?" Hammond said. Jack and Sam looked at each other.

"With regards to what?" Sam asked, though she already knew the answer. So did jack.

"The baby of course." Hammond said.

"Who told you?" Jack asked.

"No-one, but any requisitions for new uniforms goes through me and, Major, you've asked for a new uniform at least 2 sizes bigger than you are. Since you don't look like you've put on weight, I think it's safe to assume that you're expecting to?" Hammond said.

"Yes sir. I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner." Sam said.

"And a little bird tells me that you two are in a serious relationship. Might I assume that you're the father, Jack?" Hammond asked.

"Yes sir." Jack said.

"You both know the military rules on fraternisation between a Commanding Officer and his Subordinate." Hammond said.

"Yes sir." The both said. Then they saw a smile creep across Hammond's face.

"Fortunately, that won't be an issue. Major Carter is off SG-1 effective immediately and assigned to work in the lab. You now don't work for Colonel O'Neill; you report directly to me." Hammond said.

"Thank you, sir." Sam said.

"As long as your relationship doesn't affect your work and you remain professional while you're on the base, I see no reason why I can't keep you both here." Hammond said.

"Yes sir, thank you sir." Jack said.

"Colonel, are you up for a debriefing about your experiences with the Goa'uld?" Hammond said.

"Absolutely sir." Jack said.

"Good. We debrief in an hour. Dismissed." Hammond said. They both walked out

"Did just give us his blessing?" Sam said.

"Looks that way." Jack said.

"Shame I've been benched." Sam said with a pout.

"What did you think was going to happen? Your priority now to protect our son." Jack said.

"How do you know it's a boy?" Sam asked.

"It's a guy thing. You wouldn't understand." Jack said.

"You're unbelievable." Sam said.

"I know, but you love me for it." Jack said. Sam laughed as they walked down the corridor. They didn't see that they were being watched. 2 spectral shapes were floating in the corridor.

"Are you sure he's the one? He does not seem Goa'uld." The female said.

"I am certain, I will never forget the face of the monster who killed my wife and murdered and tortured me. He is the one, I am certain. And he will pay for what he has done." The male one said.


	2. Debriefing a difficult situation

An hour later and SG-1 were sitting in the briefing room, waiting for General Hammond. He soon entered with Major Castleman. They all stood up.

"Please take a seat." Hammond said. They all sat down. "Now I'm sure we're all eager to hear of Colonel O'Neill's experiences with the Goa'uld as well as the knowledge he's obtained. But our first order of business is the addition of Major Castleman to SG-1."

"I thought SG teams had only 4 people?" Daniel asked.

"Are you not well enough to lead, O'Neill?" Teal'c asked.

"Colonel O'Neill will resume his duties as Commanding Officer of SG-1. Major Castleman is Major Carter's replacement." Hammond said. Daniel and Teal'c looked at Sam.

"No offence Major, but Sam, why are you leaving the team?" Daniel said.

"UM…personal reasons. I'll remain on the base, working from my lab." Sam said.

"Do you have some kind of physical ailment that prevents you from travelling off world?" Teal'c asked. Jack looked at Sam. Their eyes met and Jack just shrugged his shoulders. The look did not go unnoticed by Daniel.

"That will be all Major." Hammond said.

"Colonel O'Neill." Castleman said. Then he saluted as Jack looked at him. "I look forward to joining SG-1 and serving under you sir."

"I'm sure you'll make a fine addition to the team." Jack said. Then Castleman left.

"So, shall we begin Colonel?" Hammond said.

"Yes sir. After I was…infected by the snake, everything went hazy. I remember him killing the Goa'uld who created him. I had to watch as he attacked and hurt the people I care about." Jack said, looking over at Sam. She picked up a note of sorrow in his voice.

"Let's skip that part. Just tell us how he managed to take over Ba'als empire." Hammond said.

"The snake used what I knew to dial the planet where Ba'als fortress was." Jack said.

"I thought that was destroyed by Lord Yu?" Daniel said.

"Apparently not. He walked in there, pretending to be me, in the hopes that it would provoke Ba'al. It worked. Ba'al threatened to have me killed when the snake revealed himself. After that, Ba'al couldn't grovel enough." Jack said.

"What did the Goa'uld know that would make him such a threat?" Daniel said.

"It turned out the Tok'ra weren't the only ones looking for the Goa'uld scientists. The System Lords also wanted to find the symbiote before it was finished. They wanted to destroy it before it…you know." Jack said, before trailing off. He couldn't bring himself to say the next part.

"Took a host." Teal'c said.

"Thank you Teal'c." Jack said sarcastically. "They were afraid something that powerful would eventually overthrow the system Lords and rule over Goa'uld, uniting them all under one Master."

"But why are the Goa'uld so afraid of stability?" Hammond said.

"Because every Goa'uld is a power-hungry egomaniac. All of them wanted to be that one master, none of them wanted to become a slave to someone more powerful." Jack said.

"Ba'al did." Sam said.

"He was afraid. Afraid of what…Vor'tesh…was capable of. Especially with what I knew at his disposal. Vor'tesh exploited that fear." Jack said. He looked down at the table. Everyone could see the look of guilt and regret on his face.

"Are you alright Colonel?" Hammond said.

Yes sir. Its just harder than I thought it would be. I'm just trying to move on from it all. The less I think about it, the easier that is." Jack said.

"I understand. I can only imagine how difficult it must have been to go through what you went through." Hammond said.

"With all due respect General, no you can't. Not unless you've been through the exact same thing yourself, you will never understand." Jack said.

"I can." Sam said.

"I'm sorry, but that's not the same." Jack said.

"Jolinar took over my body against my will. I didn't want to be a host." Sam said.

"She did it for survival. She died for you and she didn't make you kill anyone." Jack said.

"I guess not." Sam said.

"We'll leave it until you're more ready Colonel, if that's alright with you?" Hammond said.

"Thank you, sir." Jack said. "I'm just not sure how long that will be."

"Take all the time you need. Now, you said you wanted to move on from this and get your life back to normal, so how do you feel about taking your team on a standard recon mission to P4C662?" Hammond said.

"I hear its nice this time of year." Jack said.

"Get your team ready. You leave in 3 hours. Dismissed." Hammond said. They all got up and walked out. Sam and Jack were walking in front of Teal'c and Daniel. There was no-one else around.

"Hey, whoa, wait a minute." Daniel said. They stopped and turned to face Daniel and Teal'c.

"Yes Daniel?" Jack asked.

"What's going on?" Daniel asked.

"What do you mean?" Sam asked.

"Did you two have a fight or fall out over something? Because I just don't buy that crap that you're leaving the team for personal reasons." Daniel said.

"Not exactly." Jack said.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Daniel said.

"Should we tell him?" Sam said.

"If we don't, then he'll just go around interrogating the whole base until he finds out." Jack said. Sam looked around to make sure that there was no-one else around.

"I'll tell you the truth, but you can't tell anyone, not yet." Sam said.

"Of course, what's wrong?" Daniel asked, getting concerned.

"I'm pregnant Daniel. That's why I'm off the team." Sam said.

"What, what? I mean...you are?" Daniel said, looking at Sam, who was smiling. Then he looked at Jack. "And you're…?"

"Yep." Jack said.

"This is joyous news. I believe the correct term is congratulations. I am certain you will be fine parents." Teal'c said.

"Since when?" Daniel asked, by passing what Teal'c had just said.

"Since the night we first slept together." Sam said.

"You told them we slept together?" Jack asked.

"Kind of." Sam said.

"I guess I just can't believe it. Um…congratulations, I guess. I'm really happy for you guys." Daniel said.

"Thanks Daniel, so are we." Sam said.

"So, does this mean you guys are together?" Daniel said. Jack rolled his eyes.

"No Daniel, we just slept together and left it at that." Jack said, with an obvious sarcastic tone to his voice.

"Yes, we are." Sam confirmed.

"Thank you Sam. I just thought that since the Military had strict rules on fraternisation that someone would have to leave." Daniel said.

"I've been assigned to work in my lab and I now report directly to General Hammond, not Colonel O'Neill." Sam said.

"Makes sense, I suppose." Daniel said.

"As long as we remain professional while we're on the base, Hammond didn't see any reason not to keep us both here." Jack said.

"I'm sure that won't be an issue. Right?" Daniel said.

"Right." Jack and Sam said together.

"Now, lets eat. I'm starving." Jack said.

"Sounds great." Sam said.

"We'll join you." Daniel said.

"Indeed." Teal'c said. They all walked to the commissary. They didn't see the two spectral shapes from earlier.

"He blatantly disregards what he has done to us as if it were nothing." The male said.

"I am not certain that is the case, Hallen. He talked about the Goa'uld as if it were a separate being. He is not acting like a Goa'uld, certainly not the one who killed us." The female said.

"Look Shala, the Goa'uld are deceivers and they are good at it. He is deceiving them, and it is only a matter of time before he destroys them as well." Hallen said.

"Hallen please, I want vengeance on the Goa'uld who did this to us and to our people, but I do not believe it is him." Shala begged.

"The others and I do. We believe that if he truly felt guilt and sorrow for what he did then he would show it, but I've seen no evidence of that. He must suffer, as we have." Hallen said angrily.


	3. Hallucinations and Blackouts

3 hours later and SG-1 were in the gate room, geared up and ready to go. The Stargate blasted open.

"SG-1 you have a go." Hammond said.

"Alright, let's go." Jack said. They all walked through the gate. On the other side, the planet was like a secluded woodland. "It doesn't look like anyone's been here for a while."

"The aerial survey showed that the area around the stargate hasn't been colonised for centuries." Daniel said. "The ruins are this way." Daniel led the way and the rest of the team followed. They seemed to be walking for a while before they came to a ridge. When they got over, Jack stopped while the others kept walking.

"What the hell happened here?" Jack said. He saw a barren wasteland where a civilisation used to be. Buildings and land burning, smouldering, like it had recently been hit with some kind of major catastrophe. Then he saw the burning bodies of people. From what he could see of their faces, they died terrified of what was coming.

"What are you talking about? I just said no-ones lived here for centuries." Daniel said.

"You don't see it?" Jack said.

"See what, sir?" Castleman said.

"The landscape, the ruins, the people." Jack said.

"There is nothing like that around these parts, O'Neill." Teal'c said.

"Tell me what you see." Jack said. Everyone just looked at him. "Humour me."

"Alright. We see woods, trees, rock and cave formations. No sign of civilisation." Daniel said. Then he looked at Jack. "Why? What do you see?" Jack closed his eyes momentarily then opened them again. What he saw was what Daniel had just described.

"Nothing, I'm just seeing things." Jack said.

"Are feeling alright?" Daniel asked.

"I'm not sure. Lets just get this over with." Jack said. They started walking again.

"Murderer." A voice whispered. Jack turned to see who spoke.

"Alright, who said that. It wasn't funny." Jack said.

"Said what?" Castleman said.

"No-one has spoken, O'Neill." Teal'c said.

"You're sure no one was screwing with me?" Jack said.

"No-one's screwing with you Jack. Are you sure you're alright? Maybe we should head back to the SGC and have Dr Frasier check you out?" Daniel said.

"No, you stay, finish your survey. I'll go back alone." Jack said.

"Only if you are certain O'Neill, I can accompany you." Teal'c said.

"I'm sure Teal'c. I'll radio as I'm about to go through the gate. I'll see you back at the base." Jack said. Then he turned and walked away. The others watched as Jack headed back towards the Stargate. He was hearing the voices from his nightmares, but he wasn't asleep. He found himself walking through the barren wasteland again. The voices got louder and louder until the screams started. Then he saw the burning bodies begin to stand up.

"Oh, this is so not good." Jack said to himself.

"You did this to us." One said.

"You killed us." Another said. Jack tapped his radio.

"Um Daniel, I seem to be having a little problem here." He said, but the radio crackled. "Daniel? Teal'c? Is anyone there?"

"There is no-one to help you, like there was no-one to help us." Hallen said.

"Murderer."

"Monster."

"Deceiver."

"Goa'uld." The voices kept saying. Jack turned to run in another direction, but one of the dead backhanded him hard enough to knock him to the ground. He lost consciousness.

* * *

When he woke up, he found he was in the infirmary at the SGC.

"Oi, what a headache." Jack said. He felt his lip had a cut on it. Sam was sitting with him.

"Hey, you're awake." Sam said.

"Yeah, how did I end up here?" Jack said.

"Daniel, Teal'c and Major Castleman brought you back here. They found you unconscious on your way back to the Stargate. They came to look for you after a garbled message on Daniel's radio. They came to look for you and found you unconscious with that bust lip." Sam said.

"How long was I out?" Jack said.

"Almost 4 hours. What happened?" Sam asked. Jack could see she was concerned.

"I started hearing the voices from my nightmares." Jack said.

"You said they weren't that bad." Sam said.

"They weren't, I must have blacked out." Jack said. Sam was about to argue with him when Dr Frasier and General Hammond walked in.

"I know you must be tired of hearing this, but welcome back Colonel. How do you feel?" Frasier said.

"A bit of a headache, but otherwise good. Can I go now?" Jack said.

"Not so fast sir. First, we need to determine what caused your black out. What do you remember?" Frasier asked.

"Look, I don't know what to tell you." Jack said.

"How about the truth?" Daniel said as he walked in. "Because if you don't tell them, I will."

"I guess I have no choice then, do I?" Jack said.

"We're worries about you; we just want to help you." Sam said.

"I was seeing things. Things that weren't really there as soon as we stepped through the Stargate. I decided to leave the rest of SG-1 to finish the survey so I could come back. Then the voices, the screaming….and the hallucinations started. Then I must have blacked out." Jack said.

"And its not the first time you've heard the voices, is it?" Sam said.

"No. What I saw and what I heard have been in my nightmares. Every night since I woke up." Jack said.

"Why didn't you mention this before?" Frasier said.

"I thought they were just dreams. My unconscious mind trying to deal with what I had been through." Jack said.

"Audio and visual hallucinations, especially for someone whose been through something as traumatic as you went through, are never a good thing. I'd like to keep you here, under observation, for the time being." Frasier said.

"Sounds like a good idea. Colonel, I'm relieving you of active duty and into the care of Dr Frasier. Your duties will resume only when you get the all clear from her." Hammond said.

"Come on, Doc. It was only one episode." Jack said in protest.

"Still, it's one episode too many if you ask me. The Goa'uld released a toxin into your blood stream as it died. I just want to make sure that it hasn't done any permanent damage. Once I'm convinced that you're fit enough, both physically and mentally, then you can return to active duty." Frasier said.

"And not a minute before, is that clear?" Hammond said.

"Yes sir, I guess it'll have to be." Jack said, sounding defeated.


	4. One Simple Question

24 hours had passed and aside from the usual nightmares, Jack hadn't had another hallucination. He hadn't heard the voices and he hadn't been hurt. He had told Dr Fraiser about the content of his dreams and hallucinations. He was just pacing the corridor, not knowing where to go. He was bored and going stir crazy. He decided to go and see Sam. He went to her lab and found her at her workstation, examining an artefact SG-3 had brought back. She was so lost in her work that she didn't hear him come in and got a shock when he slid his arms around her waist and rested his chin on her shoulder.

"God, you scared me." Sam said.

"Sorry. What are you doing?" Jack asked.

"Trying to work. What are you doing here?" Sam asked.

"What? I can't drop in on the most beautiful woman on the base because I love her?" Jack said., kissing her on the cheek.

"You're bored, aren't you?" Sam said, smiling. Jack sighed.

"Out of my mind. I've been fine since yesterday. I honestly think it was just a coincidental, one off episode." Jack said. He let her go and went to sit across the table from her.

"Jack, you've been having nightmares every night for the last month. Then on your first off-world mission, you hallucinate, black out and wind up with an unexplained facial injury." Sam said.

"I probably did it when I hit the ground. Look, I need Doctor Fraiser to clear me for duty before I go nuts." Jack said.

"You know you can't manipulate her. Tell her the truth, tell her everything you have to and once she's convinced, you can go back off world." Sam said.

"Who knows when that will be?" Jack said snidely. Then he looked at the artefact Sam was working on. "What are you working on?"

"It's the artefact SG-3 brought back from P8X724. It's actually quite cool. It uses subtle changes in the atmosphere around a person to determine the accuracy of what they're saying." Sam said.

"So, it's a lie detector?" Jack asked.

"It's a little more sophisticated than that. It can detect when a person is lying even though the lie is extremely convincing. Do you want to see how it works?" Sam asked.

"Sure. Why not?" Jack said.

"I need you to hold it and answer some basic yes or no questions to get your readings, so we get a more accurate response to your answers." Sam said.

"Sounds simple enough." Jack said. He picked up the device.

"Alright, answer these honestly. Is your name Jack O'Neill?" Sam said.

"Yes." Jack said. The device flashed blue. "What does blue mean?"

"It means you're telling the truth. Next question, are you married?" Sam asked.

"No." Jack said. The device flashed blue again. Then Sam had an idea.

"Do you want to be?" She asked. Jack looked at her.

"Hey, that's not fair." Jack said, but the device flashed blue. They both looked puzzled. "But I didn't answer."

"But the device picked up on something. You were going to answer, weren't you? You were going to say something, and the device picked up that what you were going to say was the truth." Sam said.

"Don't look too much into this, Sam." Jack said.

"So now, there's no smokescreen. I asked if you want to be married and the device narrowed the answer down to yes or no." Sam said.

"Please don't do this." Jack said.

"I think I deserve to know. I'm not saying we have to get married right away if the answer was yes. I just need to know that I'm not wasting my time with someone who doesn't want to marry me, especially since I'm carrying your child." Sam said.

"I asked you not to do this. Not here." Jack said.

"So, I am wasting my time. You don't want to get married." Sam said.

"I didn't say that." Jack said.

"It's one simple question, with a simple answer." Sam said.

"I can't, not right now. Not with all that is going on." Jack said.

"Do you love me?" Sam said. He came around to her side of the table and put his hands on her arms.

"Yes, of that I am absolutely certain." Jack said. The device flashed blue.

"At least I know you're telling the truth on that one." Sam said.

"I've loved you since shortly after we met." Jack said. The machine flashed blue. "Can we turn that damn thing off?" Sam shut off the machine. "Are we good?"

"I'm not sure. Unless you can tell me that there's a chance we'll ever get married, then I think I just need to be alone right now." Sam said.

"Yeah, I get that. When I give you my honest answer, I don't want it to be because I was backed into a corner. When I tell you I want to marry you, it'll be done right. When I'm ready to tell you and you're ready to hear it." Jack said. He gently kissed her cheek as he left. She was mad at him. Part of her was thinking maybe she was just over-reacting. She had backed him into a corner, and she knew from experience that it wasn't a good thing. Then she thought about he had just said. He said 'when' he asks her to marry him, not 'if'. Without realising, he had just answered her question. She smiled and continued with her work.

* * *

Jack went straight to Daniel's office and knocked on the door.

"Come in." Daniel called. Jack walked in. "Hey Jack, what's wrong?"

"I screwed up." Jack said.

"What did you do?" Daniel asked.

"I didn't 'do' anything." Jack said.

"What did you say?" Daniel said.

"It's not what I said. It's what I didn't say." Jack said.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Daniel asked, still puzzled as to why Jack was here.

"Never mind. Look, I can't leave the base, so I need a huge favour." Jack said.

"I'm listening." Daniel said.

* * *

_Sorry about this chapter, I know its just pure fluff. But it's a filler chapter which will make sense later on._


	5. Deadly Apparitions

A few hours later and Daniel returned to the base following Jack's favour. He got some odd looks as he walked down the corridor carrying a huge bunch of flowers. He knocked on the door to Jack's quarters. He opened the door.

"Oh Great, thanks. I owe you for this." Jack said, taking the flowers from Daniel.

"Yes, you do. You have no idea how many strange looks I got from carrying those down all the way here." Daniel said.

"Yeah well, now its my turn." Jack said.

"Jack, what's going on? Did you and Sam have a fight?" Daniel asked.

"I'll explain later. Right now, I need to go and see her." Jack said.

"I just saw her. She was heading for her quarters." Daniel said.

"Great, I least I know where I'm going." Jack said.

"She asked about the flowers. She asked who I upset." Daniel said.

"What did you tell her?" Jack asked.

"That they were for a friend." Daniel said.

"Thank you, now if you'll excuse me. I have some grovelling to do." Jack said. Then he turned and walked away.

"Good luck." Daniel called after him. Then he went back to his office.

* * *

Jack was walking down the corridor towards Sam's quarters. He felt an unsettling breeze blow by him.

"Murderer." A voice whispered.

"Deceiver." Another said. Jack looked around. He was alone. He brushed it off and knocked on the door.

"Sam are you in there? Look, I just wanted to apologise. I was an idiot. I should have just told you the truth." Jack said, then he sighed. "And the truth is…. I don't want to do this through your door. Can I come in?" But there was no answer. He pushed the door open and peered inside. He couldn't see her. "Sam?" He went in and the door slammed shut behind him. Then he saw her. She was unconscious on the floor on the other side of the bed. "Sam!" he dropped the flowers and went to go to her. He could see she had a cut on her head, and it was bleeding. He tried to get to her, but something stopped him. He struggled as hard as he could, but whatever had him, held him back by his arms. Something he could feel but couldn't see. Then the spectral figures showed themselves.

"Who the hell are you? What are you doing here?" Jack demanded.

"The attitude of a true Goa'uld. Forgetting the faces of your victims." Hallen said. Jack looked at them and realised who they were.

"You're Alderians, aren't you?" Jack said.

"Good, you remember." Hallen said.

"Look, I don't know what it is you want from me, but please, you have to let me help her. She needs help." Jack said, looking over at Sam. Her breathing was shallow.

"Like you helped my wife? After you murdered her and made me watch her die." Hallen said.

"That wasn't me, that was the Goa'uld. I'm not him anymore." Jack said.

"You and Goa'uld are one in the same. No-one ever stops being a Goa'uld." Hallen said.

"I swear, he's dead. I'm just myself. I'm just human." Jack said.

"I want you to feel the pain I felt by standing by helplessly and watching her die. And I want you to feel the pain she felt as she died." Hallen said. A spectral dagger appeared in his hand and he plunged it into Jack's abdomen. He yelled out in pain as he dropped to the floor. "May your death be slow and painful." Jack tried to get to the intercom, but he was bleeding heavily. He collapsed. He could feel himself losing consciousness.

* * *

Daniel and Teal'c were sent be General Hammond to get Sam and Jack for a meeting. Daniel knocked on the door.

"Sam, Jack. Are you in there?" Daniel called. There was no answer. "Look, General Hammond wants to see us so if you're making up, please stop because we have to go."

"Perhaps they are not in there." Teal'c said.

"They have to be. Look guys, I'm coming in." Daniel said. He opened the door and immediately saw Jack on the floor, bleeding heavily. "Oh God, Jack!" Daniel got down next to him and applied pressure to his wound. "Teal'c call for help." Teal'c got up to the intercom.

"Medical team to Colonel O'Neill's quarters." Teal'c said.

"Jack, what happened? Who did this?" Daniel asked.

"Carter." Jack managed to say.

"Sam did this?" Daniel asked in disbelief.

"No, help her." Jack said. Then he lost consciousness.

"Help Sam? Jack, Why? Jack!" Daniel said.

"Help is on the way, Daniel Jackson." Teal'c said.

"We have to find Sam. He said she needs help." Daniel said. Then Teal'c got up and saw her. He went around to her. "Teal'c?"

"She is here. She is injured." Teal'c said.

"What the hell happened in here?" Daniel said, looking at Teal'c.

* * *

Hammond walked into the infirmary and went straight to Doctor Fraiser.

"What the hell happened here Doctor?" Hammond asked.

"I'm not sure what happened, sir. The only way to know for sure is if one of them wakes up." Fraiser said.

"How are they?" Hammond asked.

"Major Carter has a contusion on the front and back of her head. My guess is something hit her in the front, and she hit the back of her head on something hard and it knocked her unconscious. She'll be fine. Colonel O'Neill is another matter. Sharp force trauma to his abdomen. Whatever stabbed him entered below his ribcage and pierced his spleen. If Doctor Jackson hadn't of found him when he did, he would have bled out and that's not all." Fraiser said. Then she pulled up the sleeves of Jack's t-shirt. There were bruises in the shape of handprints on both of his upper arms.

"What in god's name?" Hammond started.

"It looks like something held him hard." Fraiser said.

"I've got security going over all the footage from the hallway outside Major Carter's quarters and I've got SF'S searching her room to find any clue as to what happened in there." Hammond said. "Let me know as soon as one of them wakes up."

"Yes sir." Fraiser said. Then Hammond walked out.

* * *

Two hours later and Sam woke up. Fraiser came to her.

"Hey, nice to see you awake. How do you feel?" Fraiser said.

"Like my head is about to explode. How did I get here?" Sam said.

"We were hoping you could tell us. Dr Jackson and Teal'c found you unconscious in your quarters. It looks like you were attacked." Fraiser said.

"I was in my quarters and I felt a presence ion the room with me, which is weird because there was no-one else there. Then I felt something hit me. It must have knocked me backwards and I hit my head." Fraiser said. "Is the baby OK?"

"The baby's fine. So, you don't know who attacked you?" Fraiser said.

"No why?" Sam asked. Fraiser looked over at another bed. Sam followed her gaze and was shocked to see Jack.

"He was found seriously injured in your quarters. We think that whatever attacked you, attacked him as well." Fraiser said.

"Is he alright?" Sam asked.

"He lost a lot of blood. He was stabbed." Fraiser said.

"With what?" Sam asked.

"That's just it. We don't know. We can't find any weapon on this base that matches Colonel O'Neill's wound." Fraiser said.

"That's impossible. There had to be something here." Sam said.

"It gets even more bizarre; the only ones to enter your room were you and Colonel O'Neill. According to Dr Jackson, Colonel O'Neill said you needed help before he passed out and you were already unconscious. Our theory so far is that you were attacked first, then when Colonel O'Neill came to help you, they attacked him too." Fraiser said.

"But why would…whatever it is…hurt me and seriously wound him? Unless…" Sam started. Fraiser followed her train of thought.

"Unless you weren't the target. He was." Fraiser said.

"What is going on here Janet? First, he has nightmares, then he's hearing voices, he's hallucinating and now he's been attacked." Sam said.

"Sounds to me like his ordeal with the Goa'uld is far from over." Fraiser said.

"We have to do something." Sam said.

"Like what? We don't even know what we're looking for." Fraiser said.

"I don't know, but we have to do it fast, because the next time something happens, he could die." Sam said, looking over at Jack with tears in her eyes.


	6. Persuasion

Daniel and Teal'c were in the security office, reviewing the security tapes from outside Sam's quarters.

"We've been watching these tapes for over an hour and we still haven't found anything. The only people to come and go from Sam's quarters are Sam and Jack. They both go in, but neither of them leave." Daniel said.

"That is not all. No weapon has been found to match Colonel O'Neill's wound." Teal'c said.

"So, he was attacked by someone we can't see by a weapon we can't find." Daniel said. Then he thought. "Or can we?"

"Explain." Teal'c said.

"Let's play the video frame by frame." Daniel said. He slowed the video to show 1 frame every 5 seconds. "There's Sam going in." They watched as Sam walked into her quarters. Then Teal'c saw something.

"There. Freeze the video." Teal'c said. Daniel paused the video and they could barely make out a ghostly figure following Sam into her room.

"What is that?" Daniel said.

"I believe I might know. Show me all the surveillance footage of O'Neill." Teal'c said. Daniel found the footage of Jack since he came back to the base and slowed it all down. The ghostly figures were everywhere he was, either nearby or following him.

"They're everywhere he goes. What are they?" Daniel asked.

"They are not good news for O'Neill." Teal'c said.

* * *

Hammond and Sam, who had been released from the infirmary, met Daniel and Teal'c in the briefing room. Daniel had printed out stills of the video footage showing the ghostly figures and handed them out.

"What am I looking at, Doctor Jackson?" Hammond said.

"The reason all these things have been happening to Jack." Daniel said.

"What are they?" Sam asked.

"They are what the Goa'uld and Jaffa call Kel'nosh. In human terms, they are ghosts, vengeful spirits." Teal'c said.

"Poltergeists." Sam said.

"They're a little more sinister than that." Daniel said.

"They are the spirits of those murdered by the Goa'uld. They do not affect a Goa'uld, but they do affect the host, should the symbiote and host ever be separated." Teal'c said.

"Like Colonel O'Neill was. How can we stop them?" Hammond said.

"We cannot. Only O'Neill can stop them. By confronting what he did as a Goa'uld and coming to terms with that part of his life, rather than reject it and pretend it did not happen, as I suspect he has been doing." Teal'c said.

"But it wasn't his fault. Vor'tesh made him do those things. He had no free will." Sam said.

"Maybe the spirits don't know that. From what you're saying Teal'c, they're attacking Jack, trying to make him suffer because they think he's still the Goa'uld. All he has to do it talk to them, explain to them that he's not that person anymore." Daniel said.

"It doesn't sound that simple. It sounds like these things want to kill him." Sam said.

"In any case, whatever needs done, the Kel'nosh will not leave until they are satisfied that their revenge has been brought upon the one who caused their pain. It will most likely end in Colonel O'Neill's death." Teal'c said.

"Then we have to get to him before they do." Sam said.

* * *

_Jack looked around. He was in a Goa'uld chamber. He looked and saw Hallen in the beam of the ribbon device. He saw Hallen's wife, dead on the floor. Bleeding out from the wound in her abdomen. Then he felt a sharp pain in his abdomen. He put his hand over the pained area and looked at it. It was covered in blood. He then looked back up and saw Sam in the ribbon device beam. She looked at him, her eyes begging. He tried to go to her, but he couldn't move. He was frozen. He watched as she collapsed. The Goa'uld looked at him and laughed. It was him. Then Vor'tesh spoke._

"_You're the reason she's dead. They are all dead because of you." He said. Then he turned the ribbon device onto Jack._

* * *

Doctor Fraiser was sitting with Jack. She was running some tests when she noticed his eyes begin to flicker. He opened them and looked at her.

"Hey, we have to stop meeting like this." Fraiser said.

"I'll remember that the next time I get stabbed. Where's Sam? Is she ok?" Jack asked.

"She's fine. She's meeting with General Hammond." Fraiser said. But Jack was looking passed her. Hallen was standing behind her.

"**She almost died because of you.**" Hallen said.

"I would never hurt her." Jack said. Fraiser looked at him curiously.

"I know you wouldn't and so does she." Fraiser said.

"No, I wasn't talking to you." Jack said.

"But Colonel, there's no-one else here." Fraiser said. "Are you hallucinating again?"

"Yes…no…I'm not sure." Jack said.

"What do you see?" Fraiser asked.

"**They will all die because of you**." Hallen said.

"No. I wouldn't. I couldn't kill anyone." Jack said.

"Colonel, I don't understand. Who could you not kill? Who are you talking to?" Fraiser asked.

"**They'll think you're mentally unstable if you tell her.**" Hallen said.

"Just STOP!" Jack said, getting frustrated.

"Sir just talk to me. Tell me what's going on. I might be able to help." Fraiser said.

"**The only way to help them is to come to us**." Hallen said.

"Where do I go?" Jack said.

"Oh no, you're not going anywhere. You've just woken up from surgery to repair your spleen and abdomen and you're still under the effects of the anaesthesia." Fraiser said.

"I have to go, it's the only way to save everyone." Jack said.

"Save them from what?" Fraiser said. Jack didn't answer. "I'm calling security." She went to the phone, but Hallen knocked her unconscious.

"No! You didn't have to hurt her." Jack said.

"And you didn't have to hurt us. You can still save them all." Hallen said.

"How? You heard her; I can't leave." Jack said.

"Then perhaps another visit to…what's her name? Sam, might persuade you otherwise." Hallen said.

"No don't. I'll do it. Where do I go?" Jack asked.

"Our home." Hallen said.

"That's impossible, the Stargate was destroyed." Jack said.

"And whose fault was that? No matter, you can come to us." Hallen said. Jack pulled out his IV tubes and collapsed when he tried to stand up. He felt his stitches burst and his wound was bleeding. He grabbed his clothes.

"I'll never get to the gate room. They'll never let me leave." Jack said.

"Leave that to us. Just get there." Hallen said. Then he became a spectral shape ad another joined him. Jack stumbled and followed them out, leaving drops of blood from his wound as he went.

* * *

Author's Note: Some lines are in bold because it's the spirit talking to Jack and only jack can hear him so it's to differentiate between that and the normal conversation Dr Fraiser is trying to have with him.


	7. Facing the Truth

Sam, Daniel, Hammond and Teal'c were on their way to the infirmary.

"Hopefully we can get him to open up to us and we can also hope that his 'guests' are listening." Hammond said.

"I hope so sir." Sam said. When they got outside the Infirmary, they saw 2 unconscious SF's.

"What the hell?" Hammond said. They went inside and Daniel immediately saw Dr Fraiser unconscious.

"Janet!" Daniel said. He went to her. The others looked around the infirmary.

"Colonel O'Neill." Teal'c said.

"He's gone." Sam said.

"How? He's just had surgery; he shouldn't be able to move yet." Hammond said.

"I don't know." Sam said.

"She's alive, just unconscious." Daniel said.

"He cannot have gone far; he is still wounded." Teal'c said, looking at the floor. The others followed his gaze and they saw the drops of blood on the floor.

"He can't have done this on his own. He had to have had help." Daniel said.

"But where is he going?" Hammond said.

"I do not know." Teal'c said.

"Then let's find him before he goes anywhere." Sam said. They all left the infirmary. Hammond went to the phone.

"All personnel, this is Hammond. I want Colonel O'Neill found and apprehended immediately. But he is not to be harmed, I repeat he is not to be harmed." Hammond said.

* * *

Sam, Daniel and Teal'c were following the trail of blood. They saw guards, personnel and SF's knocked out. Then they heard the Stargate activate.

"He's in the Gate room." Sam said. They ran to the gate room, but the doors had been sealed.

"Get those doors open, I'm going to the control room." She ran to the control while Daniel and Teal'c tried to open the doors manually. In the control room, Sam saw the technicians working tirelessly to shut down the gate.

"I'm sorry Major, the gate just established on outgoing wormhole on its own. We can't shut it down." Harriman said.

"Where is it going?" Sam said. Hammond soon joined them.

"That can't be right." Harriman said. Then Sam looked at the monitor.

"That's impossible." Sam said.

"Where is he going?" Hammond asked.

"Sir, according to this, for some unknown reason, the Stargate has established a stable wormhole to Alderia." Sam said.

"Didn't you say that as a Goa'uld, he destroyed Alderia and its Stargate?" Hammond said.

"Yes, sir he did." Sam said.

"Open the blast doors." Hammond said. The Blast doors opened, and they saw Jack standing at the threshold of the Stargate. He was struggling to stay on his feet.

"Colonel O'Neil, I'm ordering you to step away from the Stargate and report back to the Infirmary immediately." Hammond said through the intercom.

"It's the only way to save everyone." Jack said. Sam took the intercom.

"Jack please, we have no way of knowing where that wormhole will take you. Please come back and let us help you. We can get through this together." Sam said.

"I can't fight it anymore; I have to face up to what I've done. You can't help me." Jack said.

"Shut down that damn gate." Hammond ordered.

"We can't sir. Something else is powering the Stargate, we can't shut it down." Harriman said. Sam rushed down to the Gate room, just as Daniel and Teal'c got the doors open. They ran in as Jack stepped through the Gate.

"JACK!" Daniel called. Teal'c ran to try and follow him through but the gate shut down. Sam looked up to the control room.

"Redial Alderia now." Sam shouted. The gate began to dial out.

"If we establish an outgoing wormhole, then I want Teal'c and Dr Jackson to go through and bring him home. Now gear up." Hammond said.

"But sir…" Sam said.

"I can't risk you going Major, is that clear?" Hammond said.

"Yes sir." Sam said. Then she turned to Daniel and Teal'c. "Bring Him home."

"We will." Teal'c said.

"I promise." Daniel said. They turned to leave. The first 6 chevrons were locked in place, but the 7th wouldn't engage.

"Chevron 7 will not engage." Harriman said.

"Try again." Sam said. Harriman reset the dialling computer and tried to redial, but the same thing happened.

"We can't establish a lock. He's just gone." Harriman said.

"He had to have gone somewhere." Sam said.

"But where?" Daniel said.

"SG-1, let's meet in the briefing room." Hammond said.

"Yes sir." They said. Sam looked at the Stargate then she walked out.

* * *

On the other side, Jack stumbled out of the gate and looked where he was. The Stargate was charred and in bits now. Kit was the destroyed civilisation he'd been dreaming about. Burning buildings, charred land and burnt bodies of the people fleeing from the destruction of the Stargate. He collapsed against a wall. Hallen and a number of dead Alderian spectres surrounded him.

"So nice of you to come and accept your fate. It's only fitting that you die where you forced us to die." Hallen said. Then he looked around. "Where is Shala?"


	8. Conversations with Dead People

At the SGC, Hammond and SG-1 were in the briefing room with Dr Fraiser, who had regained consciousness.

"We've tried redialling Alderia numerous times, but the gate can't establish a connection." Sam said.

"If their Stargate was destroyed, then there would be nothing for our Stargate to connect to." Daniel said.

"So how do we get him back?" Hammond said.

"I don't know sir. What I do know is that we need to get him back soon. At the rate he's bleeding, he has an hour, 2 at most, before he bleeds to death. Not to mention the psychotic break he had when he woke up. He was saying that he had to go because it was the only way to keep everyone safe." Fraiser said.

"Keep us safe? How?" Sam said.

"From them. Think about it. They attacked Sam because she's closest to Jack and Dr Fraiser because she was trying to help him. In his weakened state, they made him believe that it was his fault that you guys got hurt. If they threatened you again or us, then they made him believe that the only way to keep us all safe was to go with them." Daniel said.

"But why is this happening? Why now? He woke up from his ordeal with the Goa'uld a month ago. He's been having nightmares, but nothing like this." Sam said.

"What's changed?" Hammond said. They all though for a minute.

"He returned to the SGC." Teal'c said.

"That has to be it. These Kel'nosh followed him through the Stargate when we brought him back here. They must have lost track of him when he went home." Sam said.

"They've been waiting for him, near the Stargate, hoping he'd come back." Daniel said.

"That must be the reason." Teal'c said.

"But how were they able to allow him to gate to a planet where the Stargate was destroyed?" Hammond asked. Sam was about to answer when she felt a cold hand on her shoulder. She spun around to find she wasn't in the briefing room. She was in a shrouded, misty area.

"_Whose there?" Sam asked. Then a female, spectral figure appeared._

"_Don't be afraid, I'm here to help you. My name is Shala." She said._

"_You're Alderian, aren't you? You're Hallen's wife." Sam said._

"_Yes." Shala said._

"_Where are we? Am I hallucinating?" Sam said._

"_No, we are in your unconscious mind, but I really am here. I am really talking to you. To your people, you are simply in a sort of trance." Shala said._

"_Then perhaps you can explain to me why you're doing this to Colonel O'Neill? Hasn't he suffered enough?" Sam demanded._

"_You are close to him?" Shala asked._

"_I love him." Sam said._

"_Then you must be the one to help him." Shala said._

"_How? I thought you were vengeful spirits?" Sam said._

"_Hallen is the vengeful one. He and our people. They want vengeance for my death and the death of our people and the destruction of our planet." Shala said._

"_But not you?" Sam said._

"_I wanted vengeance for my death, but I do not believe that Colonel O'Neill is responsible. I believe that he was at the mercy of the Goa'uld Vor'tesh." Shala said._

"_He was, he was a prisoner in his own body. Vor'tesh did those things. Jack has been feeling guilty about it. He wishes he could have done more but he was powerless." Sam said._

"_Hallen believes that the Goa'uld is not dead and that O'Neill's unwillingness to confront what he did as a Goa'uld is confirmation that he is in fact proud of what did and that his current persona is a lie. A deception by the Goa'uld." Shala said._

"_Vor'tesh is dead, Jack is all that is left." Sam said._

"_Then it is important that you get to him and make sure he knows that he is not the Goa'uld. He Has to face what he did, but he also has to know that is wasn't his fault. Hallen needs to know that O'Neill was a victim of the Goa'uld as well. If not, then O'Neill will die, and we will be stuck like this forever." Shala said._

"_How would Jack's death affect you?" Sam asked._

"_Because of what we are, we can only kill the one responsible for our deaths. If we cause the death of an innocent person, then we will be trapped in this form forever, unable to move on." Shala said._

"_So how do I get to him? We've tried dialling your world, but we can't establish a wormhole." Sam said,_

"_I can open the gateway, but you must hurry." Shala said._

"Sam? SAM!" Daniel said, shaking her. Sam gasped as she shook herself lucid. She was back in the briefing room.

"What?" She said.

"You went onto a trance." Fraiser said.

"Are you alright, Major?" Hammond asked.

"I'm fine. We were just saying that unless we can get to Alderia, then we might have to consider Colonel O'Neill lost to us." Hammond said.

"Not necessarily sir. I know how to help him." Sam said.

"How?" Daniel asked.

"I know this sounds crazy, but you're going to have to trust me." Sam said. She explained what Shala had said.

* * *

15 minutes later and Sam was in the Gate room with Daniel, Teal'c and General Hammond. She was wearing full gear as was Teal'c.

"Are you absolutely sure about this, Major?" Hammond said.

"I'm the only one who can get through to him." Sam said.

"How do you know it isn't a trap designed by them to torture Jack even further?" Daniel said.

"She seemed genuinely concerned for Jack and her people. That if he was to die, then they wouldn't be able to move on." Sam said. Then a spectral figure appeared.

"It's time." Shala said. She floated to the Stargate and it blasted open. "He is on the other side." Then she went through.

"Take your GDO. We'll be closing the iris as soon as you're through. Teal'c will be going with you. Just bring him home Major." Sam said.

"Yes sir." Sam said. Then she and Teal'c walked through the Stargate.


	9. Resolutions and Moving on

In the ruins of Alderia, Jack could feel himself fading.

"How fitting that a Goa'uld should die facing his victims, amongst the ruins of the planet he destroyed." Hallen said.

"I told you, I'm not the Goa'uld. The Goa'uld is dead, I'm all that's left. Just the host." Jack said.

"And I said that no-one can ever stop being a Goa'uld. So, drop the façade or die living a lie." Hallen said.

"I am living a lie. I'm pretending that I'm fine when nothing could be further from the truth. Ever since I woke up from that living nightmare, it takes all of my energy just to face the day. I pretend I'm over it, when in reality, I can't close my eyes without seeing the fear that was in yours when I watched the Goa'uld kill you. I am not ok. I don't think I'll ever be ok again." Jack said.

"Lies." Hallen said. Then Shala appeared.

"Listen to him Hallen." Shala said.

"Shala, where have you been?" Hallen asked.

"To save us all." Shala said.

"Jack!" Sam called. Jack looked up and saw Sam and Teal'c run to him.

"Sam, Teal'c, you're here." Jack said. Sam and Teal'c got to him.

"Yes O'Neill, we are here to take you home." Teal'c said.

"You brought them here? Why?" Hallen demanded.

"To save us all from your burning desire for vengeance. I think you should listen to what they have to say." Shala said.

"For what purpose?" Hallen said.

"Wait and see." Shala said.

"Jack look at me. You have to come home, please." Sam said.

"I can't. I have to be held responsible for what I did." Jack said.

"What you did? You mean what Vor'tesh did. What Vor'tesh made you do. You know as well as anyone that when a Goa'uld takes a host, the host is no longer in control. The symbiote calls the shots." Sam said.

"It's not what Vor'tesh did, it's what I didn't do." Jack said.

"What are you talking about?" Sam said.

"I can't. I don't want you to think less of me. I can't risk losing you." Jack said. Shala turned to Hallen.

"A Goa'uld does not care what others think of them, so why does he care if he loses this one individual? Unless he is not Goa'uld." Shala said. Hallen continued to watch.

"Jack I could never think less of you. You are the bravest, most incredible man I have ever met. Tell me what you did or didn't do, and we can get through it together." Sam said.

"I tried Sam, I fought him for as long and as hard as I could. He was just too powerful. He tried to access my memories and I tried to block him out. I gave up, I couldn't fight anymore. I was tired. It took everything I had to stop him killing you, but I was exhausted. I couldn't stop him; I couldn't even try. Then he did that to Hallen and his wife, as well as their people, as punishment for my resistance, and there was nothing I could do. Absolutely nothing." Jack said. Tears rolled down his face.

"Jack, listen to me. It wasn't you. There are very few people who have been through what you've been through. You tried, you fought. You kept fighting even though you knew that there was no way you could ever win. You have nothing to apologize for. Now please come home. I need you…. our son needs you." Sam said. Teal'c turned to the Alderians.

"Are these the actions of a Goa'uld? He feels remorse, sadness and unyielding guilt. I have served the Goa'uld. I can't tell you firsthand that these are not emotions that a Goa'uld will experience or express, and yet he has." Teal'c said.

"What are you to him?" Hallen asked.

"He's a good friend." Jack said.

"And what of her?" Hallen asked.

"I love her, I want to spend the rest of my life with her, if she'll have me." Jack said. Sam smiled.

"Don't you see, Hallen? He feels love and he came here expecting to die in order to protect those he cares about. Not the behavior of a Goa'uld." Shala said.

"No, it is not." Hallen said. Then the landscape changed to what it was before Vor'tesh destroyed it. "Thank you, you have helped me to understand that you are not the Goa'uld that killed us. My anger and thirst for vengeance clouded my mind to the truth and the truth is that you were as much a victim of the Goa'uld as we were, perhaps even more so because you had to watch and remain helpless, powerless to stop him. I know now that you were speaking the truth. The Goa'uld is dead, as is our need for justice. Go now. The Stargate will take you to your home world." Hallen said.

"Thank you." Sam said. She and Teal'c helped Jack up. Sam held a bandage to his wound.

"Go now, live. The Goa'uld have already destroyed our lives, don't let them destroy yours as well." Shala said. The Alderians activated the Stargate and watched as Sam and Teal'c helped Jack through.

* * *

It was a week later before Jack began to wake up. Doctor Fraiser had kept him sedated in order to allow him to heal. He woke up and Sam was sitting with him.

"Hey, don't you have anywhere else to be?" Jack said. Sam looked at him and smiled. She took his hand.

"There's nowhere else I'd rather be. How do you feel?" Sam asked.

"Like I was repeatedly hit with a baseball bat. How long was I out?" Jack said. Sam helped him put his bed into a sitting position.

"A week. Dr Fraiser decided to keep you sedated, in case you had another…episode." Sam said.

"I think they're over now. No more voices, no more hallucinations, no more unexplained injuries. I'm me again, whatever that means." Jack said. He saw tears in Sam's eyes. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"I was so scared Jack. I thought I'd lost you again." Sam said.

"Come here." Jack said. Sam gently leaned in to give him a hug and he held her as tight as he could. Then he cupped her face. "I didn't think I'd ever get out of that place alive. You brought me back."

"Yeah well, we need you. I wasn't going to let you go without a fight." Sam said.

"Well, it's a fight I'm glad you won." Jack said. He pulled her into a kiss. Then they broke apart after a couple of minutes.

"I should tell Janet you're awake." Sam said.

"I'll be seeing her a lot while I'm here. I'd rather see General Hammond first, if you don't mind." Jack said.

"Of course." Sam said. She got up and walked out. Jack just sat there and though. A few minutes later, Hammond walked in.

"Jack, good to see you awake. How do you feel?" Hammond asked.

"In pain, both physically and mentally, but I'll live. But you remember that extended leave you offered when I came back? I've decided to take you up on that." Jack said.

"Sounds like a good idea. I don't want you coming back on duty until you're absolutely, 100% sure you're ready. And if that happens to be after your son is born, then so be it. Where did Major Carter go?" Hammond said.

"Probably to talk to Dr Fraiser." Jack said.

"She should be resting." Hammond said.

"Yeah, she's probably had less sleep than I have and right now, she needs it more." Jack said.

"I can understand that. She needs all the sleep she can get because soon, she's going to have her hands full." Hammond said.

"I'm sure she's up to the challenge, sir." Jack said.

"I'm sure she is." Hammond said. Then Hammond looked at Jack. "Is there a reason you wanted to see me?"

"Yes sir. I feel like I need to open up to someone about what I went through, everything I went through." Jack said.

"What about Major Carter?" Hammond said.

"She knows it all already and I can't keep burdening her with this." Jack said.

"Are you sure you're ready?" Hammond asked.

"No sir, but if this experience has taught me anything, it's keeping things boxed in and not confronting my experiences doesn't end well, and if I talk to you, you can use it as my debriefing." Jack said.

"Alright Jack, I'm listening." Hammond said, taking a seat.

"I was lying when I said I was fine for duty. I didn't want to face up to what I had went through, what I had done." Jack said.

"I know. You put on a good show. You had us all convinced." Hammond said.

"The truth was, I was far from ok. I didn't want to face what was really wrong. This could take a while." Jack said.

"Take all the time you need." Hammond said. Jack started talking, Hammond was listening intently to everything he had to say.


End file.
